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American Morning
Federal Court Rules Against Restoring Feeding Tube; 'Gimme a Minute'
Aired March 25, 2005 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: If you're just joining us, the latest developments now in the Terri Schiavo case. A federal court an hour ago ruling against restoring the feeding tube. Schiavo's parents and their supporters calling on Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, to intervene in this matter. An all day Good Friday prayer vigil has been called to take place outside the governor's mansion in Tallahassee, and Terri Schiavo, now without food or water for seven days. That is the longest period of time that tube has not been attached to her stomach.
Emotion clearly building outside of the hospice, holding Terri Schiavo there, ahead of this morning's latest ruling.
Back to Bob Franken there in Pinellas Park, Florida.
And, Bob, good morning again to you.
Much reaction there now, going on 50 minutes since the ruling came down?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reaction is one of disappointment, some anger, some anger at the judiciary. The judge had received new contentions. He's the same judge who had earlier in the week refused to give the emergency order that would have connected the feeding tube to Terri Schiavo. The new ones, he dispensed with quickly in his overnight ruling, in an eight-page ruling. The constitutional claims, 14th Amendment claim, saying that she was denied due process, he disagreed with that. Eighth amendment, that she was receiving cruel and unusual punishment, he disagreed with that. Also, he disagreed with the contention that there was a violation of federal law, the Americans with Disability Act and the Rehabilitation Act, disagreed with that.
It goes on to say, "Once again, the critical issue is whether the plaintiffs have established a substantial likelihood of success on the merits. Then, on careful consideration of each count, the court concludes that the plaintiffs have not shown a substantial case on the merits," meaning he will not issue an emergency order. Possibility exists for an appeal through the federal judiciary, but the appeals court and the Supreme Court have made it quite clear, at least up until now, that they would defer to the district judge and this district judge has now twice turned down an appeal for an emergency reconnection of the tube. HEMMER: Bob, you've been outside that hospice for about a week now. Is there any parent for Terri Schiavo's parents to visit the hospice to visit their daughter or to speak to reporters gathered there?
FRANKEN: They normally come at some point during the day, usually in the afternoon. They into go into a little building which happens to be right by our satellite truck, and this is an off-limits area for us. They will come out at some point. We are given easy notice of it. They want to be seen. They want to be see visiting their daughters to raise public awareness, and raise the political pressure, and frequently, Mary Schiavo, who is Terri Schiavo's mother will come to the microphones and make an emotional plea to the politicians, which has had quite a bit of resonance because we've seen the dilemma that many politician say they face.
HEMMER: Bob, thanks, in Pinellas Park, Florida. Again, the ruling going against Terri Schiavo's parents. That coming down about 7:45 a.m. Eastern Time, which is about 50 minutes on the clock. Bob, thanks -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The Terri Schiavo case is our top story this morning, but there are other stories that are making news today. Let's get the headlines with Carol Costello once again.
Hey, Carol. Good morning again.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Pope John Paul making news this morning. He may make a videolink appearance during today's Good Friday observances. The 84-year-old pope has not been seen in public since Wednesday. CNN Vatican analyst John Allen says the absence raises some concern about the pope's long- term health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Unofficially, they're telling us his recovery is not coming along as quickly or as seamlessly as they had hoped, that there continues to be breathing difficulties and just other things related to fatigue.
But on the other hand, they are also telling us that there is no atmosphere of alarm in the Vatican, no one believes his condition is terribly grave. There is a full expectation that he'll pull through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Vatican sources say the pope is still expected to give a blessing at the end of Easter mass on Sunday.
Prince Rainer of Monaco remains in intensive care today. The 81- year-old ruler's prognosis described by a palace spokesman as uncertain. He's connected to a respirator, and is said to be suffering from lung, heart and kidney problems. The ailing monarch has ruled Monaco for 55 years and of course, as you know, he was married to American movie star, Grace Kelly, who died in a crash back in 1982.
New findings in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hari. A U.N. fact-finding team blames Syria's government for inciting political tensions, indirectly causing the attack. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the U.N. State Department are calling for a more in-depth investigation. The massive blast in Beirut last month killed 20, and wounded more than 100.
And officials in central Florida say they are concerned about the growing number of children being infected with a rare disease, possibly from petting zoos. Two more children are apparently suffering from severe kidney infections, often associated with E. coli. That brings the total hospitalized to nine. Two other children and an adult are showing symptoms of the disease, and they're currently under observation. As to how you get E. coli from a petting zoo, that remains unclear.
HEMMER: Jack Hanna was with us yesterday. He says make sure that place is clean and always wash your hands.
O'BRIEN: The animals can certainly...
HEMMER: After the kids pet the animals.
O'BRIEN: You know, I mean, anybody who has got a toddler knows the kids, they touch the animals, they put their hands in their mouths.
HEMMER: In their mouths.
COSTELLO: And they eat everything.
O'BRIEN: The animals and the kids. We certainly hope those kids are recovering.
Thanks, Carol.
Well, every Friday at this time, our "Gimme a Minute" panel tackles the week's big stories in rapid-fire fashion. Joining thus morning out of San Diego is Mindy Fletcher. She's a former Bush/Cheney campaign spokeswoman, in Washington, D.C. is former DNC press secretary Jennifer Palmieri. And with us here in New York, Andy Borowitz of theborowitzreport.com.
Welcome to all of you. Let's get right to it.
Mindy, we're going to start with you. As you well know, breaking news out of Florida this morning with the federal judge denying the Schindler family's motion to try to get the feeding tube reconnected into Terri Schiavo. Do you think that, in fact, Governor Bush should go ahead and ignore a federal court order and take custody of Terri?
MINDY FLETCHER, FMR, BUSH/CHENEY CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN: You know, he doesn't have any special powers to do anything in this particular situation. I'm sure he is disappointed and saddened by the decision. I know he was hopeful the new affidavit filed by the neurosurgeon would shed some new information in this case.
But at this point, he's taken an oath to uphold the law as governor of Florida, and I think he's done everything at his disposal to take action in this case, and anybody who expects him to do otherwise is being unrealistic.
O'BRIEN: Jennifer, look forward to maybe 2008 -- do you think the governor here may have to pay from his core constituents who would like to him do more in this case?
JENNIFER PALMIERI, FMR. DNC PRESS SECY.: Well, I think the governor has boxed himself into a corner, because he did start off pushing the limits of the law in this case, and now he's in a place where he has nowhere else to turn. And I think he's right to back off now. So I don't think there's going to be any sort of political wind coming out of this for Jeb Bush or anybody.
O'BRIEN: Andy, there is nothing funny, it's fair to say, about either side in this really tragic case. And the bell's gone by. But what do you have to say about it?
ANDY BOROWITZ, THEBOROWITZREPORT.COM: I want to say I am so happy that that bell rang, let's move on.
O'BRIEN: Good, I agree with you.
Let's talk about gas prices. Gas prices are out of control. It's like $2.50 for a gallon of gas in Santa Barbara.
Jennifer, at what point do you think the public gets so angry this becomes a political issue?
PALMIERI: It's not just gas prices. The interest rates have went up this week as well. People are going bankrupt because they can't afford health care. And the administration's reaction on gas prices is let's drill the Arctic Refuge, which is a long-term strategy. But moreover, they're not doing anything to helps to relieve the pressures you're feeling now. Bush just runs around the country saying we neat knead to privatize Social Security and spend $2 trillion to do it, but they're not addressing any of these real pressures, and I think that's what the real political problem for Bush, is he needs to start addressing problems that people are actually feeling, as opposed to making up crises where they don't exist.
O'BRIEN: I don't know how we got from gas to Social Security. Mindy, what do you think? Do you think Jennifer is unfairly blaming the Bush administration.
FLETCHER: Well, I think she needs to turn her focus inward to the Democrats in the Senate, who have blocked actually the long-term strategy on energy, and trying to make sure that we do have enough in America to not be dependent on foreign oil.
O'BRIEN: Andy, you can't say you're so glad the bell rang. What you got for us on that?
BOROWITZ: Well, good news for the president. They just found massive oil reserves inside Dick Cheney. So, no problem.
O'BRIEN: And you know what? We've got more good news to talk about. And Mindy, we're going to start with you on this one. Fatalities among Americans down 50 percent since the elections in Iraq. That is really tremendous news, although the Iraqis are still being attacked. What do you think it means for U.S. forces, Mindy?
FLETCHER: I think it shows that the Iraqis are starting to take matters into their own hands. They saw in the election, this is truly about their future and they are starting to take responsibility. I would caution everybody, I think it's still -- you know, these are going to go up and down and it's still going to be a long fight against those insurgents and these terrorists there.
O'BRIEN: Jennifer?
PALMIERI: I'm going to be bold and agree with my friend Mindy that it is good news, it's encouraging news.
O'BRIEN: Well, I don't think I've ever seen that on this show ever.
PALMIERI: I -- that's not true, I often agree with Mindy.
O'BRIEN: Oh, often, that is so not true! Andy, if you jump in and say you agree, that's it. I'm just walking off.
BOROWITZ: No, no, I think it's great news. And I've heard that the president has a plan to bring the troops home through North Korea. And I think that's great.
PALMIERI: That's probably, unfortunately, true.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's go to what was undercovered this morning. And I think, Jennifer, it's your turn to start. What do you think we missed?
PALMIERI: I think that what the bigger story that we missed this week is that, you know, a lot of people got involved to save Terri Schiavo in the Congress, but these are the same people voted, the Republicans voted to cut how her health care is being paid, which is by Medicaid taxes. But the Medicaid tax cuts.
And I think, you know, that is -- it's great that they want to save this one woman, but there's millions of Americans that need more health care, there's millions of Americans whose Medicaid and the way they get their health care is being cut. And I think that should have been covered more.
O'BRIEN: Mindy, what you do think we missed?
FLETCHER: I think we missed the story about John McCain endorsing the president's effort on Social Security reform. I'm fully aware that if John McCain had opposed it, it would have been top page, front page, news and everybody would have been talking about it. I think they need to decide whether or not his opinion is important and cover it no matter what it is.
PALMIERI: Breaking news, a Republican supports what President Bush is doing.
O'BRIEN: Girl, you don't get two opportunities. This is not a debate. Have you guys -- are you unfamiliar with the format of this?
PALMIERI: I'm sorry.
O'BRIEN: That's OK.
PALMIERI: Mindy and I are friends. She doesn't mind.
O'BRIEN: She's trying to take over "Gimme a Minute." Andy, save me here. What's the final word this morning? What did we miss?
BOROWITZ: Well, big news from Iraq. Saddam Hussein says he wants to be tried by a jury of Robert Blake's peers.
O'BRIEN: That is our final word this morning. You guys, as always, have a great weekend and we'll see you back here next week. Thanks a lot -- Bill.
HEMMER: We had agreement, but it was a fleeting moment, wasn't it?
O'BRIEN: A second.
HEMMER: Two short seconds here. Back to the Terri Schiavo case. The latest on what's happening in Florida in a moment.
Also, the biggest and baddest on the planet. Polar bears now on thin ice. We'll explain why in a moment here.
And meet an artist today who's helped catch some of the nation's most notorious criminals. She says it's all in her mind. We'll explain that as well as we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Let's get the latest now on the Terri Schiavo case. The news we got about an hour ago, a federal judge denying the latest motion by Terri's parents to try to get the feeding tube reinserted. She has been now without water or nourishment for a week. It's the second time this week already that the U.S. district judge, James Whittemore, ruled against the Schindlers. The Schindlers are the parents of Terri Schiavo.
They asked a federal appeals court to review his decision last time. That court is in Atlanta. That court refused on a 10-2 vote. The Supreme Court then also refused to hear this case. The state court on Thursday rejected a request to hear new medical testimony. That's been the effort on behalf of the family to get this new evidence entered into the court.
The governor also failing to get custody of Terri Schiavo, turning over to the division of family services. There are many in Florida pushing the pressure on Jeb Bush. And also failing to get the legislature in Tallahassee to pass a law to restore her feeding tube. The parents, their supporters, would still like Governor Bush to take some sort of action. Whether or not that happens today or this weekend is unclear -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We're going to have more on that, of course, during the morning.
Also, all this week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been exploring the science of memory in advance of his primetime special on Sunday. This morning, Sanjay profiles a woman who helps solve crimes by bringing buried memories to the surface.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeanne Boylan makes a living by mining the buried details of memory. A top- ranked freelance artist, she sketches thousands of subjects for the FBI and police departments around the country. From the Unabomber to the Oklahoma City bombing to the Polly Klaas kidnapping, she's worked the biggest cases around.
In 1987, a bomb badly wounded the owner of a computer store in Salt Lake City, Utah. Minutes earlier, a worker there had caught a glimpse, just a two-second glimpse, of the man leaving the suspicious package. Seven long years later, Boylan was called in to meet the lone eyewitness. The result was this famous sketch, the hooded Unabomber. A good likeness? Judge for yourself.
JEANNE BOYLAN, ARTIST/CRIMINAL PROFILER: Your memory may have been stored it in the interim, but the odds of that original memory being there are extremely good.
GUPTA: At most police departments, a witness to a crime either looks through mugshots or picks and chooses from a menu of facial features until an artist or a computer creates a composite. But researchers have found that these techniques actually impair memory. As the witness concentrates on each new image, the original memory is blurred.
BOYLAN: I hate those mug books. An imprint into memory is not unlike a fingerprint on a murder weapon. So when police show witnesses, you know, eyes and lips and noses and books full of facial features and expect that memory to be static, what they're actually doing is overlaying the imprinted memory with all these new additional prints, just as they would be overlaying fingerprints on a murder weapon if they handed it to bare-handed people.
GUPTA: Boylan's method is different. Her interviews are long, about 12 hours, but most of the talking has nothing do with the crime. She relaxes the witness and lets memories come to the surface. She's careful not to suggest details, which is tougher than you might think. (on camera): The contamination of an eyewitness. So, I mean, how subtle can it be? You just said if the investigator says were his eyes brown, is that contamination?
GUPTA: When it comes to memory, we often can't trust our own eyes. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That's a fascinating case. A reminder, Dr. Sanjay Gupta's primetime special "MEMORY" airs on Sunday night, 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN -- Bill.
HEMMER: Get a break here in a moment. Meet some big bears who some argue are in some big trouble. To the polar capital of the world, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: It can be a rather controversial subject, the subject of global warming, but many experts say there is ample evidence to prove that it is true. And they say when they show it, they can show it with polar bears. Miles O'Brien a preview of a special report coming up on Sunday night.
Miles, good morning there.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The polar bears of Hudson Bay are in trouble, deep trouble, and the problem is the climate is warming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): They call it the polar bear capital of the world. Churchill, Manitoba, on the western banks of Hudson Bay, is probably the best place in the world for humans to catch a glimpse of the magnificent mammals that rule the arctic ice pack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. Polar Bear Alert.
O'BRIEN: But the bears are in trouble, big trouble. For them, it's a matter of survival.
RICHARD ROMANIUK, POLAR BEAR POLICEMAN: We've been chasing her since Wednesday about 10:00, we got the first call.
O'BRIEN: That's Richard Romaniuk, polar bear policeman. He's a very busy man these days.
ROMANIUK: Well, last night we had four calls. One at 5:00, one at about 1:00, one at about 3:00 and one at about 5:00.
Hey, buddy. You here by yourself?
The last three years, 2001, 2002, 2003, were the busiest years the program has ever had.
O'BRIEN: The bears are coming to town with alarming frequency. Weak, famished, and scavenging for food.
ROMANIUK: Last year, there were 176 bears that were captured, about 135 were captured in and around the dump.
O'BRIEN: Polar bears are nature's ultimate binge-eaters. During the winter, once the Hudson Bay freezes over, they take to the ice with a veracious appetite for seal. They hunt and eat as much as they can get their paws on, and then when the ice gets thin in the spring, they return to terra firma for a four-month fast.
NICK LUNN, SCIENTIST: The amount of time the bears in western Hudson Bay can spend on sea ice is critical for their survival.
O'BRIEN: Scientist Nick Lunn has logged two dozen years studying polar bears for the Canadian Wildlife Service.
LUNN: We've seen bears come into shore in poorer and poorer condition.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN: The adult males are 15 percent lighter than they were 20 years ago. Adult females with cubs, 20 percent skinnier. And the problem, Bill, is the polar bear buffet, if you will, is opening later, closing sooner. The Hudson Bay now returns to its liquid state three weeks earlier in the spring than it did in 1970. Their opportunity to eat is diminishing, and eventually, Bill, they're going to have to move north.
HEMMER: Wow. Good stuff. Good pictures, too, to go along with that. We'll look forward to it Sunday night, all right?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: MELTING POINT, tracking the global warming threat, 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 on the West Coast here on CNN.
Thanks to Miles for that.
O'BRIEN: Let's check with Jack Cafferty now. He's got a look at the file this morning.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: That's pretty depressing stuff, right?
O'BRIEN: Depressing, and what beautiful animals.
CAFFERTY: Terrible.
Well, on to other things. Marlon Brando died in July. However, fans looking to own a piece of his legacy should check out the Los Angeles Thrift Store Cinema Shop. Brando reportedly donated all of his clothing to that shop. Ten dollars will get you a pair of Brando's pants, once worn by the star of "Street Car Named desire" and "On The Waterfront." The pants are sized 52. In his later years, Brando starred at the dinner table.
The men's magazine "FHM" ran a reader poll for the 100 sexiest women in the world. They got 15 million responses. Here are the top five on the list. That includes actresses as well as athletes. No. 5 is Halle Berry. No. 4 is Charlize Theron. No. 3 is Paris Hilton. No. 2 is Jennifer Garner. And No. 1 is Angelina Jolie. Number 100 is an actress named Rosalyn Sanchez, who is featured in the new "Kojak" TV series. And it occurred to me it might be better not to make the list at all than to come in at number 100.
O'BRIEN: But if Halle Berry is No. 5, I mean, down on the list, and Rosalyn Sanchez, who is an amazingly beautiful is No. 100, that's just depressing for all womanhood.
CAFFERTY: You'll have to hold another election -- Soledad doesn't like the returns on this one.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Finally, each year, there's a big Easter celebration at the Cincinnati Zoo, some uplifting animal footage now. The gorillas look for actual decorated hard-boiled eggs, which are hidden in trees or in Easter baskets. Now eating the eggs can be a little messy, but officials point out that unlike most 2-year-old children, no gorilla has ever destroyed an Easter basket, although they do sometimes wear the empty baskets on their heads. The elephants at the zoo look for melons. The polar bears search for raw fish hidden in blocks of ice. There are also egg hunts for the Indian rhinos, the snow monkeys and something called the red river hogs.
O'BRIEN: That's cute.
HEMMER: Cincinnati, not a bad zoo, by the way.
CAFFERTY: Apparently not. I mean, it sounds like they have a lot of fun out there on Easter.
HEMMER: First time, five years old, Cincinnati Zoo -- zoo, zoo.
We'll get a break here in a moment. That was the long-time theme -- Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo, Zoo.
CAFFERTY: Glad you clarified it, because you sounded like you were losing your marbles over there.
HEMMER: Some days I am.
The latest on Terri Schiavo and the ruling from a judge an hour and 15 hours ago.
We'll get you get you caught up on what's happening in Florida. Also, it is Good Friday. Where is the pope, and how is his health? An expert joins us from Vatican City to talk about that. Top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 25, 2005 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: If you're just joining us, the latest developments now in the Terri Schiavo case. A federal court an hour ago ruling against restoring the feeding tube. Schiavo's parents and their supporters calling on Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, to intervene in this matter. An all day Good Friday prayer vigil has been called to take place outside the governor's mansion in Tallahassee, and Terri Schiavo, now without food or water for seven days. That is the longest period of time that tube has not been attached to her stomach.
Emotion clearly building outside of the hospice, holding Terri Schiavo there, ahead of this morning's latest ruling.
Back to Bob Franken there in Pinellas Park, Florida.
And, Bob, good morning again to you.
Much reaction there now, going on 50 minutes since the ruling came down?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reaction is one of disappointment, some anger, some anger at the judiciary. The judge had received new contentions. He's the same judge who had earlier in the week refused to give the emergency order that would have connected the feeding tube to Terri Schiavo. The new ones, he dispensed with quickly in his overnight ruling, in an eight-page ruling. The constitutional claims, 14th Amendment claim, saying that she was denied due process, he disagreed with that. Eighth amendment, that she was receiving cruel and unusual punishment, he disagreed with that. Also, he disagreed with the contention that there was a violation of federal law, the Americans with Disability Act and the Rehabilitation Act, disagreed with that.
It goes on to say, "Once again, the critical issue is whether the plaintiffs have established a substantial likelihood of success on the merits. Then, on careful consideration of each count, the court concludes that the plaintiffs have not shown a substantial case on the merits," meaning he will not issue an emergency order. Possibility exists for an appeal through the federal judiciary, but the appeals court and the Supreme Court have made it quite clear, at least up until now, that they would defer to the district judge and this district judge has now twice turned down an appeal for an emergency reconnection of the tube. HEMMER: Bob, you've been outside that hospice for about a week now. Is there any parent for Terri Schiavo's parents to visit the hospice to visit their daughter or to speak to reporters gathered there?
FRANKEN: They normally come at some point during the day, usually in the afternoon. They into go into a little building which happens to be right by our satellite truck, and this is an off-limits area for us. They will come out at some point. We are given easy notice of it. They want to be seen. They want to be see visiting their daughters to raise public awareness, and raise the political pressure, and frequently, Mary Schiavo, who is Terri Schiavo's mother will come to the microphones and make an emotional plea to the politicians, which has had quite a bit of resonance because we've seen the dilemma that many politician say they face.
HEMMER: Bob, thanks, in Pinellas Park, Florida. Again, the ruling going against Terri Schiavo's parents. That coming down about 7:45 a.m. Eastern Time, which is about 50 minutes on the clock. Bob, thanks -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The Terri Schiavo case is our top story this morning, but there are other stories that are making news today. Let's get the headlines with Carol Costello once again.
Hey, Carol. Good morning again.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Pope John Paul making news this morning. He may make a videolink appearance during today's Good Friday observances. The 84-year-old pope has not been seen in public since Wednesday. CNN Vatican analyst John Allen says the absence raises some concern about the pope's long- term health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Unofficially, they're telling us his recovery is not coming along as quickly or as seamlessly as they had hoped, that there continues to be breathing difficulties and just other things related to fatigue.
But on the other hand, they are also telling us that there is no atmosphere of alarm in the Vatican, no one believes his condition is terribly grave. There is a full expectation that he'll pull through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Vatican sources say the pope is still expected to give a blessing at the end of Easter mass on Sunday.
Prince Rainer of Monaco remains in intensive care today. The 81- year-old ruler's prognosis described by a palace spokesman as uncertain. He's connected to a respirator, and is said to be suffering from lung, heart and kidney problems. The ailing monarch has ruled Monaco for 55 years and of course, as you know, he was married to American movie star, Grace Kelly, who died in a crash back in 1982.
New findings in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hari. A U.N. fact-finding team blames Syria's government for inciting political tensions, indirectly causing the attack. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the U.N. State Department are calling for a more in-depth investigation. The massive blast in Beirut last month killed 20, and wounded more than 100.
And officials in central Florida say they are concerned about the growing number of children being infected with a rare disease, possibly from petting zoos. Two more children are apparently suffering from severe kidney infections, often associated with E. coli. That brings the total hospitalized to nine. Two other children and an adult are showing symptoms of the disease, and they're currently under observation. As to how you get E. coli from a petting zoo, that remains unclear.
HEMMER: Jack Hanna was with us yesterday. He says make sure that place is clean and always wash your hands.
O'BRIEN: The animals can certainly...
HEMMER: After the kids pet the animals.
O'BRIEN: You know, I mean, anybody who has got a toddler knows the kids, they touch the animals, they put their hands in their mouths.
HEMMER: In their mouths.
COSTELLO: And they eat everything.
O'BRIEN: The animals and the kids. We certainly hope those kids are recovering.
Thanks, Carol.
Well, every Friday at this time, our "Gimme a Minute" panel tackles the week's big stories in rapid-fire fashion. Joining thus morning out of San Diego is Mindy Fletcher. She's a former Bush/Cheney campaign spokeswoman, in Washington, D.C. is former DNC press secretary Jennifer Palmieri. And with us here in New York, Andy Borowitz of theborowitzreport.com.
Welcome to all of you. Let's get right to it.
Mindy, we're going to start with you. As you well know, breaking news out of Florida this morning with the federal judge denying the Schindler family's motion to try to get the feeding tube reconnected into Terri Schiavo. Do you think that, in fact, Governor Bush should go ahead and ignore a federal court order and take custody of Terri?
MINDY FLETCHER, FMR, BUSH/CHENEY CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN: You know, he doesn't have any special powers to do anything in this particular situation. I'm sure he is disappointed and saddened by the decision. I know he was hopeful the new affidavit filed by the neurosurgeon would shed some new information in this case.
But at this point, he's taken an oath to uphold the law as governor of Florida, and I think he's done everything at his disposal to take action in this case, and anybody who expects him to do otherwise is being unrealistic.
O'BRIEN: Jennifer, look forward to maybe 2008 -- do you think the governor here may have to pay from his core constituents who would like to him do more in this case?
JENNIFER PALMIERI, FMR. DNC PRESS SECY.: Well, I think the governor has boxed himself into a corner, because he did start off pushing the limits of the law in this case, and now he's in a place where he has nowhere else to turn. And I think he's right to back off now. So I don't think there's going to be any sort of political wind coming out of this for Jeb Bush or anybody.
O'BRIEN: Andy, there is nothing funny, it's fair to say, about either side in this really tragic case. And the bell's gone by. But what do you have to say about it?
ANDY BOROWITZ, THEBOROWITZREPORT.COM: I want to say I am so happy that that bell rang, let's move on.
O'BRIEN: Good, I agree with you.
Let's talk about gas prices. Gas prices are out of control. It's like $2.50 for a gallon of gas in Santa Barbara.
Jennifer, at what point do you think the public gets so angry this becomes a political issue?
PALMIERI: It's not just gas prices. The interest rates have went up this week as well. People are going bankrupt because they can't afford health care. And the administration's reaction on gas prices is let's drill the Arctic Refuge, which is a long-term strategy. But moreover, they're not doing anything to helps to relieve the pressures you're feeling now. Bush just runs around the country saying we neat knead to privatize Social Security and spend $2 trillion to do it, but they're not addressing any of these real pressures, and I think that's what the real political problem for Bush, is he needs to start addressing problems that people are actually feeling, as opposed to making up crises where they don't exist.
O'BRIEN: I don't know how we got from gas to Social Security. Mindy, what do you think? Do you think Jennifer is unfairly blaming the Bush administration.
FLETCHER: Well, I think she needs to turn her focus inward to the Democrats in the Senate, who have blocked actually the long-term strategy on energy, and trying to make sure that we do have enough in America to not be dependent on foreign oil.
O'BRIEN: Andy, you can't say you're so glad the bell rang. What you got for us on that?
BOROWITZ: Well, good news for the president. They just found massive oil reserves inside Dick Cheney. So, no problem.
O'BRIEN: And you know what? We've got more good news to talk about. And Mindy, we're going to start with you on this one. Fatalities among Americans down 50 percent since the elections in Iraq. That is really tremendous news, although the Iraqis are still being attacked. What do you think it means for U.S. forces, Mindy?
FLETCHER: I think it shows that the Iraqis are starting to take matters into their own hands. They saw in the election, this is truly about their future and they are starting to take responsibility. I would caution everybody, I think it's still -- you know, these are going to go up and down and it's still going to be a long fight against those insurgents and these terrorists there.
O'BRIEN: Jennifer?
PALMIERI: I'm going to be bold and agree with my friend Mindy that it is good news, it's encouraging news.
O'BRIEN: Well, I don't think I've ever seen that on this show ever.
PALMIERI: I -- that's not true, I often agree with Mindy.
O'BRIEN: Oh, often, that is so not true! Andy, if you jump in and say you agree, that's it. I'm just walking off.
BOROWITZ: No, no, I think it's great news. And I've heard that the president has a plan to bring the troops home through North Korea. And I think that's great.
PALMIERI: That's probably, unfortunately, true.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's go to what was undercovered this morning. And I think, Jennifer, it's your turn to start. What do you think we missed?
PALMIERI: I think that what the bigger story that we missed this week is that, you know, a lot of people got involved to save Terri Schiavo in the Congress, but these are the same people voted, the Republicans voted to cut how her health care is being paid, which is by Medicaid taxes. But the Medicaid tax cuts.
And I think, you know, that is -- it's great that they want to save this one woman, but there's millions of Americans that need more health care, there's millions of Americans whose Medicaid and the way they get their health care is being cut. And I think that should have been covered more.
O'BRIEN: Mindy, what you do think we missed?
FLETCHER: I think we missed the story about John McCain endorsing the president's effort on Social Security reform. I'm fully aware that if John McCain had opposed it, it would have been top page, front page, news and everybody would have been talking about it. I think they need to decide whether or not his opinion is important and cover it no matter what it is.
PALMIERI: Breaking news, a Republican supports what President Bush is doing.
O'BRIEN: Girl, you don't get two opportunities. This is not a debate. Have you guys -- are you unfamiliar with the format of this?
PALMIERI: I'm sorry.
O'BRIEN: That's OK.
PALMIERI: Mindy and I are friends. She doesn't mind.
O'BRIEN: She's trying to take over "Gimme a Minute." Andy, save me here. What's the final word this morning? What did we miss?
BOROWITZ: Well, big news from Iraq. Saddam Hussein says he wants to be tried by a jury of Robert Blake's peers.
O'BRIEN: That is our final word this morning. You guys, as always, have a great weekend and we'll see you back here next week. Thanks a lot -- Bill.
HEMMER: We had agreement, but it was a fleeting moment, wasn't it?
O'BRIEN: A second.
HEMMER: Two short seconds here. Back to the Terri Schiavo case. The latest on what's happening in Florida in a moment.
Also, the biggest and baddest on the planet. Polar bears now on thin ice. We'll explain why in a moment here.
And meet an artist today who's helped catch some of the nation's most notorious criminals. She says it's all in her mind. We'll explain that as well as we continue after this.
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HEMMER: Let's get the latest now on the Terri Schiavo case. The news we got about an hour ago, a federal judge denying the latest motion by Terri's parents to try to get the feeding tube reinserted. She has been now without water or nourishment for a week. It's the second time this week already that the U.S. district judge, James Whittemore, ruled against the Schindlers. The Schindlers are the parents of Terri Schiavo.
They asked a federal appeals court to review his decision last time. That court is in Atlanta. That court refused on a 10-2 vote. The Supreme Court then also refused to hear this case. The state court on Thursday rejected a request to hear new medical testimony. That's been the effort on behalf of the family to get this new evidence entered into the court.
The governor also failing to get custody of Terri Schiavo, turning over to the division of family services. There are many in Florida pushing the pressure on Jeb Bush. And also failing to get the legislature in Tallahassee to pass a law to restore her feeding tube. The parents, their supporters, would still like Governor Bush to take some sort of action. Whether or not that happens today or this weekend is unclear -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We're going to have more on that, of course, during the morning.
Also, all this week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been exploring the science of memory in advance of his primetime special on Sunday. This morning, Sanjay profiles a woman who helps solve crimes by bringing buried memories to the surface.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeanne Boylan makes a living by mining the buried details of memory. A top- ranked freelance artist, she sketches thousands of subjects for the FBI and police departments around the country. From the Unabomber to the Oklahoma City bombing to the Polly Klaas kidnapping, she's worked the biggest cases around.
In 1987, a bomb badly wounded the owner of a computer store in Salt Lake City, Utah. Minutes earlier, a worker there had caught a glimpse, just a two-second glimpse, of the man leaving the suspicious package. Seven long years later, Boylan was called in to meet the lone eyewitness. The result was this famous sketch, the hooded Unabomber. A good likeness? Judge for yourself.
JEANNE BOYLAN, ARTIST/CRIMINAL PROFILER: Your memory may have been stored it in the interim, but the odds of that original memory being there are extremely good.
GUPTA: At most police departments, a witness to a crime either looks through mugshots or picks and chooses from a menu of facial features until an artist or a computer creates a composite. But researchers have found that these techniques actually impair memory. As the witness concentrates on each new image, the original memory is blurred.
BOYLAN: I hate those mug books. An imprint into memory is not unlike a fingerprint on a murder weapon. So when police show witnesses, you know, eyes and lips and noses and books full of facial features and expect that memory to be static, what they're actually doing is overlaying the imprinted memory with all these new additional prints, just as they would be overlaying fingerprints on a murder weapon if they handed it to bare-handed people.
GUPTA: Boylan's method is different. Her interviews are long, about 12 hours, but most of the talking has nothing do with the crime. She relaxes the witness and lets memories come to the surface. She's careful not to suggest details, which is tougher than you might think. (on camera): The contamination of an eyewitness. So, I mean, how subtle can it be? You just said if the investigator says were his eyes brown, is that contamination?
GUPTA: When it comes to memory, we often can't trust our own eyes. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That's a fascinating case. A reminder, Dr. Sanjay Gupta's primetime special "MEMORY" airs on Sunday night, 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN -- Bill.
HEMMER: Get a break here in a moment. Meet some big bears who some argue are in some big trouble. To the polar capital of the world, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: It can be a rather controversial subject, the subject of global warming, but many experts say there is ample evidence to prove that it is true. And they say when they show it, they can show it with polar bears. Miles O'Brien a preview of a special report coming up on Sunday night.
Miles, good morning there.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The polar bears of Hudson Bay are in trouble, deep trouble, and the problem is the climate is warming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): They call it the polar bear capital of the world. Churchill, Manitoba, on the western banks of Hudson Bay, is probably the best place in the world for humans to catch a glimpse of the magnificent mammals that rule the arctic ice pack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. Polar Bear Alert.
O'BRIEN: But the bears are in trouble, big trouble. For them, it's a matter of survival.
RICHARD ROMANIUK, POLAR BEAR POLICEMAN: We've been chasing her since Wednesday about 10:00, we got the first call.
O'BRIEN: That's Richard Romaniuk, polar bear policeman. He's a very busy man these days.
ROMANIUK: Well, last night we had four calls. One at 5:00, one at about 1:00, one at about 3:00 and one at about 5:00.
Hey, buddy. You here by yourself?
The last three years, 2001, 2002, 2003, were the busiest years the program has ever had.
O'BRIEN: The bears are coming to town with alarming frequency. Weak, famished, and scavenging for food.
ROMANIUK: Last year, there were 176 bears that were captured, about 135 were captured in and around the dump.
O'BRIEN: Polar bears are nature's ultimate binge-eaters. During the winter, once the Hudson Bay freezes over, they take to the ice with a veracious appetite for seal. They hunt and eat as much as they can get their paws on, and then when the ice gets thin in the spring, they return to terra firma for a four-month fast.
NICK LUNN, SCIENTIST: The amount of time the bears in western Hudson Bay can spend on sea ice is critical for their survival.
O'BRIEN: Scientist Nick Lunn has logged two dozen years studying polar bears for the Canadian Wildlife Service.
LUNN: We've seen bears come into shore in poorer and poorer condition.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN: The adult males are 15 percent lighter than they were 20 years ago. Adult females with cubs, 20 percent skinnier. And the problem, Bill, is the polar bear buffet, if you will, is opening later, closing sooner. The Hudson Bay now returns to its liquid state three weeks earlier in the spring than it did in 1970. Their opportunity to eat is diminishing, and eventually, Bill, they're going to have to move north.
HEMMER: Wow. Good stuff. Good pictures, too, to go along with that. We'll look forward to it Sunday night, all right?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: MELTING POINT, tracking the global warming threat, 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 on the West Coast here on CNN.
Thanks to Miles for that.
O'BRIEN: Let's check with Jack Cafferty now. He's got a look at the file this morning.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: That's pretty depressing stuff, right?
O'BRIEN: Depressing, and what beautiful animals.
CAFFERTY: Terrible.
Well, on to other things. Marlon Brando died in July. However, fans looking to own a piece of his legacy should check out the Los Angeles Thrift Store Cinema Shop. Brando reportedly donated all of his clothing to that shop. Ten dollars will get you a pair of Brando's pants, once worn by the star of "Street Car Named desire" and "On The Waterfront." The pants are sized 52. In his later years, Brando starred at the dinner table.
The men's magazine "FHM" ran a reader poll for the 100 sexiest women in the world. They got 15 million responses. Here are the top five on the list. That includes actresses as well as athletes. No. 5 is Halle Berry. No. 4 is Charlize Theron. No. 3 is Paris Hilton. No. 2 is Jennifer Garner. And No. 1 is Angelina Jolie. Number 100 is an actress named Rosalyn Sanchez, who is featured in the new "Kojak" TV series. And it occurred to me it might be better not to make the list at all than to come in at number 100.
O'BRIEN: But if Halle Berry is No. 5, I mean, down on the list, and Rosalyn Sanchez, who is an amazingly beautiful is No. 100, that's just depressing for all womanhood.
CAFFERTY: You'll have to hold another election -- Soledad doesn't like the returns on this one.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Finally, each year, there's a big Easter celebration at the Cincinnati Zoo, some uplifting animal footage now. The gorillas look for actual decorated hard-boiled eggs, which are hidden in trees or in Easter baskets. Now eating the eggs can be a little messy, but officials point out that unlike most 2-year-old children, no gorilla has ever destroyed an Easter basket, although they do sometimes wear the empty baskets on their heads. The elephants at the zoo look for melons. The polar bears search for raw fish hidden in blocks of ice. There are also egg hunts for the Indian rhinos, the snow monkeys and something called the red river hogs.
O'BRIEN: That's cute.
HEMMER: Cincinnati, not a bad zoo, by the way.
CAFFERTY: Apparently not. I mean, it sounds like they have a lot of fun out there on Easter.
HEMMER: First time, five years old, Cincinnati Zoo -- zoo, zoo.
We'll get a break here in a moment. That was the long-time theme -- Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo, Zoo.
CAFFERTY: Glad you clarified it, because you sounded like you were losing your marbles over there.
HEMMER: Some days I am.
The latest on Terri Schiavo and the ruling from a judge an hour and 15 hours ago.
We'll get you get you caught up on what's happening in Florida. Also, it is Good Friday. Where is the pope, and how is his health? An expert joins us from Vatican City to talk about that. Top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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